Daily Drawing 412 "MSW Studio" ink&watercolor 5 x 8 - love an open studio day

The 4th Floor Artists of Rockland, MA have been running open studios since the mid-1990s.  Their two buildings house dozens of artists' studios in all shapes and sizes.  I love visiting during the November open house.  Yesterday, I spent a while hanging out with my friend and artist Mary Sheehan-Winn.  She is such a terrific painter.  While we chatted, I did a sketch of one of her fascinating walls with paintings and a few choice objects artfully placed among the white-painted studs.  Sweet afternoon. I added some watercolor when I returned home. 
This is my four hundred twelfth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking. 

"Artist's Palette" watercolor & ink 9 x 12

A number of years ago, I was fortunate enough to get to Sorolla's home in Madrid.  I took my then 5th grade daughter on a school trip to Spain.  We began the trip in Madrid, where we opted out of an afternoon at the Prado for a taxi ride to Sorolla's breathtaking home and studio.  I'm so glad we went. Sumptuous color, brushwork, design... and in his studio, a cubby hole of a bed, right in the middle of the studio.  February's theme for my painting group was "palette".  I started thinking about paint and harmonies and color, and other meanings of the word "Palette".  "Pallet" is a homonym, meaning a type of bed.  When I thought of the other pallet, I remembered the bed in Sorolla's beautiful studio, and thought of the pallet within the palette, so to speak.  So, here's a line drawing of Sorolla's studio, with added color.  

Thanks for looking.

"Bathscape" oil 12" x 9"

I have a lot of favorite things that I use as props, and have built shelves into every nook of my cozy studio to hold many of them, always making room for the next consignment shop find.  We are exploring color this term in my painting class.  I have carried bags of rich chroma props, then neutral props, then props primarily red, blue, or yellow (pun intended), then colored glass props... all to the art center where I teach.  Soon, we'll be able to bring class outside to revel in the colors nature provides, but not yet. 

 Sometimes the props in my studio, even coupled with flowers or produce, just aren't doing it for me so I look elsewhere.  For this painting, I just opened the linen closet shelves for all those bath products that don't get used often.  Their pastel palette is very appealing, along with transparency, interesting labels, and bottle shapes provided a great bag of variety to take to class.  Rather than replacing them all on the shelves when I returned home, I recycled the older bottles.  Great still life props, some clean out accomplished, and shelf space gained.  Win, win, and win!

Shelf Life 6 x 8 oil

I love my studio; compact, yet mine.  It is filled with things I love to look at, to touch, and just to be around.  I find it visually stimulating; some may find it visually exhausting.  To each his own. I can rationalize any small purchase (see "compact" above) as a still life prop.  

A few years ago; I had a milestone birthday and threw myself a party, ("no gifts, please") to which I invited about 65 people I love, and don't see often enough.  Who can see that many people very often? Do the math....

During the weeks prior, I gathered things from around the house and wrapped them up as my gifts to my friends; sort of a grown up goody bag. Everyone took home something I'd loved for while; and chose to move along.  Bottom line, I like things.  Some, I keep; some I keep for a while.

  "Shelf Life" is the first in a series of small paintings using vignettes of my things as subject matter.  I have enjoyed these two small wooden blocks, sitting jauntily on my shelf, but never painted them.  They are sort of nautical and nostalgic, and have that special patina and warmth that well-used items can have.    The Norman Rockwell postcard, and blocks, and little architectural detail are sitting on the narrow chair rail in my studio. I love the contrast of movement amid stationary objects. My goal was to say as little as possible, while conveying the intimacy of a peacefully perched collection.

More to come.